Second Chances for Nathan Chapter 5, Part 3 Page 23
The load of lumber that Lee ordered arrived. Sam, Lee, Bill, and Jesse were busy unloading it and bringing it into the hall. Earlier, Lee had asked Jesse to help Sam break down the bar and the two young men worked quite well together to Bill and Lee's delight. Now, they had to build a long buffet table, and the stage, to start. The ladies were wisely going to wait until all the construction was done before they hung up curtains in the hall, so they began sewing the curtains for the upstairs bedrooms.
Lee and Bill had decided with Sam staying up there, that area would continue to be available for anyone coming to Hope Valley for employment or visiting. They knew that down the line there would be men filling the needs of the oil pipeline crew and would need a place to stay until they could buy a home or land.
Rosemary was still planning her self-appointed talent show and wrote the headline. "New talent needed for the new Billee's Place!" for the Valley Voice. Her article asked, "Can you play an instrument, can you sing, can you dance, or jump through a ring? Can you act in a skit, can you write a poem, whatever you can do, just don't go home! You will have a few weeks to gather your friends to plan your part, or go it alone to show us your art! So don't miss the fun, you might just win, so remember to come, as it's no time to run!"
"Lee, are you back?" she called.
"I'm back but not for long. Why?" answered Lee.
"I want you to read my article about the talent show and get your opinion. It has to be perfect!" she declared as she began.
"Yes, yes, it's perfect, sweetheart, I'll see you later." Lee blew Rosemary a kiss as he hustled back to Billees.
"Oh, phooey, I might as well get over to the dress shop." Rosemary left for the shop and ran into Dr. Faith. "Hello there Faith!"
"Hi Rosemary! How are you?" asked Faith.
"I'm busy helping Lee and Bill get their new place all prettied up. The sewing circle has been working very hard. I'm going over to the dress shop now to see how far we are with the curtains and tablecloths. Now Faith, you have to think of an act that you can do for our talent show!"
"Talent show?" Faith was not following what Rosemary was talking about.
"You know, we are going to enjoy local talent at Billees. So, we can have family entertainment that everyone can enjoy. What do you want to do?"
"Let me think about that Rosemary!" Faith laughed. "Now, if Carson were here, he'd be playing his guitar and singing. Gosh, I sure miss him! It's so hard to carry on without him."
"Has he called or written to you?" Rosemary asked.
"Yes, but he's so busy learning and doing more. He's feeling so fulfilled with surgeries, that I worry he won't want to come back to Hope Valley" Faith fretted.
"You're here Faith, I'm sure he'll follow his heart back to you." Rosemary reassured. "Now, just get your mind on what you can do for the talent show, and think of something fun!" With that Rosemary walked into the dress shop.
"I saw you speaking with Dr. Faith," Molly said, "I've been helping her at the infirmary, but I can't help her with her loneliness. She cries every time she gets a letter from Dr. Carson."
"I sure hope for her sake, that she can get busy and discover the fun side of herself for the talent show. Now ladies, how are we coming along?" Rosemary asked.
Minnie was busy at the cafe baking a few trays of blueberry muffins with Angela's help. Now that school was out, Minnie really enjoyed having her daughter with her. It was a great time working together, and didn't feel like work.
"Mama, I want to learn how to cook all my favorite dishes." Angela told Minnie.
"Honey, you are a natural and I'm sure by the end of summer, you will be creating your own dishes!" Minnie encouraged, "I think we're ready to start preparing Swiss steak with gravy over noodles for our dinner entree tonight.
"I'm ready Mama", Angela smiled "I want to be just like you, one of the best cooks in Hope Valley!"
Minnie walked over to her daughter and gave her a big hug, "My sweet, sweet darling, you are such a beautiful young lady who can play the piano better than anyone this town has ever heard, and I want to be just like you!"
Flo was glad that the cut glass vases arrived at the Mercantile all in one piece. She always fretted when fragile items were being transported. They looked better in person than in the catalog and she knew Rosemary would be more than pleased. The telephone switchboard was keeping her quite busy and she needed a break, so when Molly came in she was a welcome sight.
"I haven't seen Bill in a few days," Molly complained to Flo. "He's very wrapped up with Lee remodeling the saloon and keeping an eye on the town while Nathan is gone. He was so brave going into the saloon by himself to find Sam!"
"Goodness gracious Molly," Flo remarked, "He certainly was, but it worked out splendidly though now having Sam there to help."
"You know, I've been thinking I'd like to have Bill over when Mountie Gabe comes here," Molly pondered. "Or just to go out for a walk together. Hmm…"
Fiona heard the music coming from the radio at Billees and after Mike Hikam was done with his haircut, they walked over to see how the remodeling was going. Clare had just arrived at the same time to see Jesse.
"Everything is looking just dandy!" Fiona complimented the men.
"Yes, thanks to Sam and Jesse," Clare fondly announced as she put her arm around Jesse.
"I think this is going to be the talk of the town, and not Walden's way either!" Mike declared.